this is the pixel remastered version, playing it on the switch. there's an option that applies a fake crt filter which probably sucks for the screenshots but is much less annoying to look at on my big dumb tv with it on, sorry lol. moving the screenshots from the switch to my laptop is easy enough, tho I should maybe write a quick script that batch resizes and renames images. yes this is too high effort for off topic, who carez, I'm having fun. every image is boxed for sake of readability. the box tag rules rofl.

obviously this is spoilers for final fantasy 6. if you haven't played it and don't want to because lol jrpgs then stick around. also I'm naming gogo after polyspora because I think it'd be funny lol

three magitek armor pilots make their way towards the small town of Narshe, cloaked by the ongoing blizzard. they've been sent to confirm the rumor of a newly unearthed "esper," an ancient source of immense magical power, and Gestahlian Empire have kindly provided Wedge and Biggs with a witch. their witch.

"waste no time on the riffraff," he commands, pushing the unnamed girl to the front of formation. cowards.

indeed, as the "riffraff" comes out to protect their town, no time is wasted in putting them down. electrocution, incineration, explosives, poison gas, banishment to another... dimension? pretty terrible stuff, particularly keeping that last one in mind.

they rip through the local militia and find the entrance to the mines...

...plow their way through them, recklessly destroying support beams and infrastructure in the process...

...only to be met with more of the "riffraff!"

I'm sorry, what was that name?

we face the first boss in our long journey, and these two explain precisely how to kill it.


you fucking moron.

so of course, their witch is forced to save the day.

and there it is! was it worth it?

hmm, we shall see.

an eerie light flashes throughout the cave.

then they're gone. banished, hopefully.

and as the esper turns it's attention to the girl, she's wrapped in strange magical interference and blacks out.

she wakes up in a bed, in a home located at the end of town, and we hear her speak! it turns out that she had been forced to wear a magical crown, stripping her of her own agency and allowing the Empire to control her actions. had the esper been trying to help, then?


Kaaruumii, a name at last!

soon after, the local militia begins pounding on the front door, ending our brief respite. they demand the old man hand her over to them. probably not a good idea, and the old man agrees!

she runs out the back door and makes her way across a conveniently placed bridge, where's she spotted by several guards before stepping into a conveniently placed mineshaft.

but she's quickly cornered!

I can't help but wonder if this collapse was caused, in part, by our earlier reckless destruction. she falls down, miraculously surviving the fall but quickly losing consciousness.

a small glimpse of even earlier events: a crazed, flamboyant imperial mage named Kefka installing Kaaruumii's crown and forcing her to kill imperial soldiers, and a rally held by Emperor Gestahl himself. "Nothing shall stand in our way!" "Long live Emperor Gestahl!"

returning to Narshe, we see the old man who had helped Kaaruumii escape, berating a trail-worn and treasure hunting man named Max Kaiju before asking him to help Kaaruumii get out of the town safely. the second member in our merry band of rebels.

Max speeds through the mines, reaching Kaaruumii just before the guards show up with reinforcements.

but what's this?

unfortunately, we'll have to wait to see if Max's surprise reinforcements turn the odds in our favor...